UN Report on the Taliban Regime

In News

• Recently a report on Taliban Regime was published by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Major findings of the Report

• It states that foreign terrorist organisations continue to enjoy safe haven under the new Taliban regime. 
• The terrorist groups are currently in consolidation mode and not likely to launch major attacks outside Afghanistan before 2023.
  • This may be due to financial constraints, and possibly under political pressure not to embarrass the Taliban internationally at this juncture.
• It says about internal division in the Taliban, between the moderate and hardline blocs. 
  • Wherein moderates want working relationships with foreign partners and integration with the international system and hrdliners are declining such possibilities.
  • Independent of both these blocs is the Haqqani Network which, which is inclined towards a pragmatic rather than ideological approach to securing Taliban interests.
• The report believes the Kandahari (Durrani) Taliban to be in the ascendancy among the Taliban leadership, with Pashtuns getting precedence over non-Pashtuns (like Tajik, Turkmen and Uzbek communities). 

Report findings on terrorist organisations affecting India:

• Two India-focussed terrorist groups, Jaish-i-Mohammed (JiM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), are reported to have training camps in Afghanistan. 
  • The JiM maintains eight training camps in Nangarhar, three of which are directly under Taliban control. 
  • The LeT was said to maintain three camps in Kunar and Nangarhar. 
• Both the groups enjoy close links with the Taliban leadership
  • LeT also has a history of providing finance and training expertise to Taliban operations.
• The report also says that the al-Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) has 180-400 fighters in Afghanistan. “

• Fighters included nationals from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan. 
• AQIS outfit has also been forced to adopt a “less aggressive posture” due to financial constraints. 
• The report notes that the name change of the AQIS magazine from ‘Nawa-i-Afghan Jihad’ to ‘Nawa-e-Gazwah-e-Hind’ 
  • This suggests a “refocussing of AQIS from Afghanistan to Kashmir”.

• Other terrorist organisations: 
  • Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) constitutes the largest component of foreign terrorist fighters in Afghanistan, with their numbers estimated at 3,000-4,000, and mostly located along the east and south-east Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas. 

Implications on  regional geo-politics 

• Inspiration of Taliban actions:
  • Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has emboldened and inspired radical Islamist outfits in the region and the world including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State that had been degraded and, in many places, on the back foot. 
• Regions affected:
  • Reoccurence of Islamic terrorism was an expected move and its ripple effects will spread far from Africa to southeast Asia. 
• Issues in India:
  • The disputed region of Kashmir may see further unrest and terrorist activities.
  • There is further possibility of infiltration all across the Line of Control in both Kashmir and Jammu regions.
• India-China-Pakisan tension:
  • It will almost certainly lead to a dangerous heightening of India-Pakistan tension, already on a razor’s edge at a time when India faces a two-front threat from China and Pakistan.
• Issues in Pakistan:
  • Pakistan too will feel the blow back from the radicalisation from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, leading to turmoil in the Pashtun and Baloch areas of Pakistan. 
  • There, another pacifist Pashtun movement the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), inspired by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, led by several charismatic leaders have started a popular, peaceful movement against Pakistan Army’s radicalisation of Pashtuns for its own ends.

Steps taken by India in countering terrorism:

• India has taken steps for setting up Joint Working Groups (JWGs) on counter-terrorism/security matters with countries. 
• Bilateral treaties on Mutual Legal Assistance (MLATs) in Criminal matters to facilitate the investigation, collection of evidence, transfer of witnesses, location and action against proceeds of crime, etc. have been signed with other countries.
• In 2018, India highlighted its demand for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
• Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System: 
  • It vastly improves the capability of Border Security Force (BSF) in detecting and controlling the cross border crimes like illegal infiltration, smuggling of contraband goods, human trafficking and cross border terrorism, etc.
• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967:
  • It enables more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities, and other related matters.
• National Investigation Agency: 
  • It is India’s counter-terrorist task force and is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states.
• Policy of Zero-Tolerance Against Terrorism: 
  • India calls for zero-tolerance agianst terrorism and focuses on developing a common strategy to curb it.

Way ahead:

• National action, coupled with international and regional cooperation: 
  • China, India, Russia and Iran may also find a common interest in controlling radicalism and stabilising the region. This has to be consciously explored.
  • There should be a concerted effort from the countries affected by the scourge of terrorism to pressurise countries that engage in state-sponsored terrorism.
• Timely and Appropriate Action: 
  • Intelligence gathering and sharing are not enough, timely and appropriate action is required on the intelligence received.
  • Intelligence agencies have to be empowered both monetarily and through modern infrastructure to be able to respond in time.
• Filling and Addressing Gaps: 
  • Violation of and gaps in the implementation of human rights should be addressed in a fair and just manner, with objectivity, non-selectivity, transparency and with due respect to the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty.

Source:TH